Album Review: spill tab - 'ANGIE'
Spill Tab provides the hypnotic, alt-pop soundtrack of the summer with debut album, ANGIE.
LA-based French-Korean singer, songwriter and producer Claire Chicha, better known as Spill Tab, is set to release her debut album, ANGIE, on the 16th of May via Because Music. Chicha, under the guise of Spill Tab, has been biding her time and honing her sound. Having already released three successful EPs, Spill Tab has built up a solid discography ahead of her debut. 2020’s synth-pop inspired Oatmilk, 2021’s Bonnie, an upbeat, playful combination of tracks featuring the likes of Gus Dapperton and Tommy Genesis, and 2023’s Klepto, which had the hit single CRÈME BRÛLÉE!. Her album ANGIE is an amalgamation of all of her past works - genre-defying, oozing with creativity and individuality. Chicha says of the album, “I love this collection of songs so deeply, they feel more honest than anything I’ve created in a long time…a culmination of this last few years of my life.”
When it comes to genre, there is no one box that Spill Tab fits into, but instead, the singer/songwriter/producer has mastered the art of dabbling across the board. Chicha’s varied musical influences span across the entirety of the album, a mix of synth-pop, funk, grunge, jazz, soul. While it might seem chaotic, Spill Tab has perfected her skill, combining genres and flowing between them gracefully, effortlessly, so much so that she takes this culmination of genres and recreates them, bending them to make them entirely her own.
Spill Tab demonstrates this ability to bend genres to suit her style from the beginning, opening the album with PINK LEMONADE. A cocktail of lo-fi, indie and funk - a track that encapsulates summer. Horns playing alongside the distorted kick of a drum machine, setting the scene for what is to come on the rest of ANGIE. One can’t help but imagine lounging in the sun with an ice-cold (pink) lemonade in hand, before Chicha’s autotuned vocals join the ensemble of sounds, elevating the track further. From funky lo-fi beats to soft piano keys, PINK LEMONADE flows seamlessly into the second track, Adore You, which puts Claire Chicha’s vocal talents in the spotlight. It’s a jazzy, bluesy number with a Spill Tab twist.
Spill Tab displays her endless pool of talent as she flows between French and English with ease throughout ANGIE. The soulful track Assis sees her blending both languages so smoothly that the transition goes almost unnoticed, flowing perfectly with the funky grooves of the song. De Guerre, on the other hand, is entirely in French and demonstrates Spill Tab’s continuous expansion across all genres, venturing into heavier, noisier, grungier tones. The angst of De Guerre is evident, whether you’re fluent in French or not, with punchy distorted guitar intros, raging drums and rasping lyrics - “J’attaque / Saccage” (translation “I attack / ransack”). By Design, similarly, is all noise, a punch to the gut, haunting electro-punk track - distorted and jarring, it gets under your skin, an itch that you can’t quite scratch, until it suddenly switches, becoming acoustic, upbeat. A song that, quite literally By Design, will float around in your brain for days.
Spill Tab switches lanes frequently throughout ANGIE, from gentle tones to snarling sounds and back, keeping you on your toes while listening. The gentle, wavy plucking of guitar strings and angelic vocals of Hold Me follow By Design, and it’s a sweet, ache in the chest track. While the title track, Angie, is a combination of all of Spill Tab’s qualities, rattling guitars mixed with synth-pop beats and honey vocals.
The final number, wet veneer, in contrast to the fizzing, poppy opener that was PINK LEMONADE, is pure jazz. Chicha’s deep, bluesy voice is the perfect final sweet serenade, with a thrilling brass solo to close the song, the album, out. The last moment of reflection, the last of the sun warming your skin as it sets. That is how wet veneer feels; that is how ANGIE ends.
It’s an album that feels almost impossible to define, but ultimately, so is Spill Tab. There’s no one label or box that Chicha’s talents fit into, no limit to her creativity. Instead, she puts them all on display within this album. ANGIE is a journey, a summer day adventure, a debut that will warm you to the bones from start to finish.
Words by Angela English
